I think Bang the Party actually started in Manhattan at a club called Baktun and for a while would alternate between the two locations. I went to Frank’s for it a bunch of times and saw it grow. In the beginning the party was upstairs and the 5dollars was just upstairs and nothing was going on downstairs so that was like a chill out room. Eventually a dj started playing down there, an older black man who used a red telephone as his headphones and played more like club classics and soul I think. I don’t remember. Eventually there was a hip hop dj downstairs, house music still upstairs and both levels would get packed so they moved the cover to the front door instead of just upstairs. There was a great backyard for chilling out though. I lived not so far away on Court st between Kane and Baltic. And would be able to walk home. Def some good memories of Franks. I think even after Bang the Party stopped they still had club DJ’s up there.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 18 August 2022 11:25 (one year ago) link
Moe’s was a long-standing bar a few blocks away. There was a Cambodian restaurant in the space that’s now bbq I think. Not many Cambodian places in the city. I remember their menu had a list of things you could order that didn’t take long in case you were in a rush to go to BAM
― dan selzer, Thursday, 18 August 2022 11:27 (one year ago) link
an older black man who used a red telephone as his headphones and played more like club classics and soul I think
I remember this! When Frankie Crocker died this guy dedicated the entire night to him, playing his songs and songs he made famous
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 18 August 2022 11:31 (one year ago) link
that cambodian place was great. The last time I was in Ft Greene it had become an upscale brunch place. Sad!
Missed this one, Burger Heaven.https://ny.eater.com/2020/2/25/21152684/burger-heaven-closing
― Meet Me in the Z'Ha'Dum (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 24 November 2022 11:33 (one year ago) link
The last one that existed has become a Smash Burger. It was located across the street from the deli that inspired this thread The Flashy Crawl on Biryani Carts, Convenience Stores, etc.
― Meet Me in the Z'Ha'Dum (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 24 November 2022 13:10 (one year ago) link
I used to go to one, on Madison I think, I liked it.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 24 November 2022 13:41 (one year ago) link
Rathbones
― The Dark End of the Tweet (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:43 (one year ago) link
We missed the passing of it last year. But the spot has reopened as something else and maybe someone else has bought the name to reopen elsewhere.
― The Dark End of the Tweet (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:45 (one year ago) link
No, same guy and space. They changed the name but maybe kept some menu stuff. Not that I had been in the place in thirty years.
― The Dark End of the Tweet (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:48 (one year ago) link
Not too old or weird, served food but not a restaurant, but still prepandemic and I had been there within the last several years, B Flat in Tribeca.
― The Dark End of the Tweet (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 28 November 2022 23:50 (one year ago) link
The latest episode of The Bowery Boys: New York City History podcast is titled "Side Streets: Good Diners, Great Pizza and Mars 2112." The whole thing is worth a listen, but particularly at the 15 minute mark when they pose the question, if you could bring back one closed restaurant from NYC history which would it be. One of the hosts speaks about Le Veau D'Or and past celebrity sightings therein.
― Josefa, Tuesday, 3 January 2023 16:31 (one year ago) link
They also mention this place:
America Restaurant, 9 East 18th Street (Flatiron).A big box place, felt more like a discotheque than a restaurant, where you watch the waitstaff or maitre or maitresse 'd walking far away up and down some kind of catwalk just to tell somebody their table was ready. Very, very 80s.http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/style/the-new-restaurants-space-and-grace.html― Tarzan v. BMI (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, July 4, 2016 4:44 AM (six years ago)
A big box place, felt more like a discotheque than a restaurant, where you watch the waitstaff or maitre or maitresse 'd walking far away up and down some kind of catwalk just to tell somebody their table was ready. Very, very 80s.
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/04/style/the-new-restaurants-space-and-grace.html
― Tarzan v. BMI (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, July 4, 2016 4:44 AM (six years ago)
― Josefa, Tuesday, 3 January 2023 16:59 (one year ago) link
Not too weird, only a little over a decade old, but still. Sort of a perfect little place for what it was and where it was. Survived the pandemic only to not be renewed this month by Lincoln Center. https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/indie-food-wine-closes-lincoln-center-restaurant/
― after the pinefox (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 15 February 2023 14:26 (one year ago) link
i liked that place but i imagine they'll cycle something else in within a few weeks.
― POLIZISTEN VERSINKEN IM SCHLAMM (forksclovetofu), Wednesday, 15 February 2023 18:06 (one year ago) link
One or two things of passing interest on here: https://ny.eater.com/2023/5/5/23709744/nyc-restaurant-closings-may-2023
― Cosmo’s Hacienda (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 8 May 2023 10:18 (eleven months ago) link
It's funny they even mention Blank Street Coffee closing bc there's still three or four of them in the general Park Slope area where we had none just a couple of years ago. Although I did just buy a plant from the newly closed location and none of the others sell plants.
Far sadder to me, which they don't mention, is the closing of Broccolino, an Italian place run by real Italians across Flatbush Ave. from Barclays Center. Nice people, and I liked their little quirk of serving you the bill inserted in a little "Diabolik" comic book ("fumetto").
― Josefa, Monday, 8 May 2023 13:27 (eleven months ago) link
missing La Caridad 78, long -running Chinese/Cuban spot on the uws. shut during covid, tho i hadn't been there in way longer
― No, 𝘐'𝘮 Breathless! (Deflatormouse), Monday, 15 May 2023 01:22 (eleven months ago) link
Did we ever mention The Peacock Caffé on this thread?
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 22:36 (nine months ago) link
Caffè. Not to mention all the other Caffès wonder how many are left. Maybe I can search with the proper diacritic.
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 22:42 (nine months ago) link
Some photos: http://www.greenwichvillage-italian-newyork.com/2020/08/peacock-caffe-greenwich-village-ny.html?m=1
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 22:53 (nine months ago) link
Can’t say I’ve heard of it
― calstars, Friday, 30 June 2023 23:00 (nine months ago) link
It was kind of an old school supercheap cafe that people could hang out and write in all day if they wanted to iirc.
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 23:07 (nine months ago) link
LIke that Hungarian bakery near Columbia.
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 23:08 (nine months ago) link
Another village place that comes to mind is Alice’s tea cup. Not sure of the name but it was down on the lower west somewhere
― calstars, Friday, 30 June 2023 23:27 (nine months ago) link
Tea & Sympathy? That seems to still be there. But there might have another teacup place, the Pink Teacup or something.
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 23:43 (nine months ago) link
Pink tea cup sounds right
― calstars, Friday, 30 June 2023 23:44 (nine months ago) link
Pink Teacup closed in 2009. https://ny.eater.com/2009/12/8/6751059/soul-food-spot-the-pink-tea-cup-to-close-after-55-years
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 June 2023 23:45 (nine months ago) link
OhhI went there 2 or 3 times as a kid, probably after music lessons at Greenwich house
― calstars, Friday, 30 June 2023 23:56 (nine months ago) link
what was the name of that tiny Thai spot in the EV with the far out mod decor, anyone remember?
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:06 (nine months ago) link
i live just down the street from that Hungarian bakery near Columbia, never go there anymore for some reason.
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:09 (nine months ago) link
I can understand that.
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:12 (nine months ago) link
probably because it's full of Columbia students who hang out and read all day.
alt.coffee was my spot for buying a can of Irn Bru and hanging out and chain smoking the rest of the day.
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:12 (nine months ago) link
Salad days
― calstars, Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:13 (nine months ago) link
yeah def
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Saturday, 1 July 2023 00:14 (nine months ago) link
Columbia profs too iirc
― Looking For Mr. Goodreads (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 1 July 2023 01:01 (nine months ago) link
a few profs and neighborhood people, but overwhelmingly students. ilike the place but tend to avoid crowded places with loud teenagers.
this neighborhood feels more like a college campus every year, most of our old restaurants have been replaced with fast casual joints at this point.
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Saturday, 1 July 2023 01:45 (nine months ago) link
I like the place but tend to avoid crowded places with loud octogenarians.
― calstars, Saturday, 1 July 2023 01:59 (nine months ago) link
alt.coffee was the best, and I didn't even live there.
― Elvis Telecom, Monday, 3 July 2023 13:27 (nine months ago) link
I'm still friends with some of the people i met individually at alt.coffee and they are the most 'out-there' people i've known in my life.
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Monday, 3 July 2023 14:48 (nine months ago) link
some of them have kids now 👽👦👧
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Monday, 3 July 2023 14:49 (nine months ago) link
The owner of alt.coffee also ran Cake Shop and just bought the old Pyramid Clib and is turning it into a new club.
― dan selzer, Monday, 3 July 2023 16:45 (nine months ago) link
and Library Bar and Bruar Falls and i think also Alphaville. never felt anything close to the same affection for any of those places as alt.coffee. it attracted a more out crowd.
extent of my interactions with the owner in the alt.coffee days:-there was a Bartlebees album in their CD rack i'd been curious to hear, so i asked him to put it on (it was too scratched to play, so he described it to me instead)-"when are you getting more Irn Bru?"
i was a teenager and sensed that the ownership and staff found my friends and i a little annoying (fair, obv). might have left an art portfolio with someone there once, more likely just thought about it and never actually did.
iirc they closed alt and reopened it as a kiddie/daycare cafe in the mid 00's in response to increased stroller traffic on ave a and declining crust punk numbers. i moved to long island for a couple of years right around then, knew nothing about this. remember walking in there one day and going "wtf is this??"
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Monday, 3 July 2023 17:22 (nine months ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/nyregion/08coffee.html
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Monday, 3 July 2023 17:26 (nine months ago) link
https://www.amny.com/news/internet-cafe-rewires-itself-for-the-new-kiddie-boom/
the kiddie incarnation was called Hopscotch
― carthage marine park (Deflatormouse), Monday, 3 July 2023 17:28 (nine months ago) link
Think I may need to get this book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/julia-wertz/tenements-towers-trash/9780316501217/?lens=black-dog-leventhal
― Tommy Gets His Consoles Out (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 7 August 2023 12:53 (eight months ago) link
*bump*
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 February 2024 21:05 (two months ago) link
Serge Raoul, the founder of Raoul's in Soho, passed away this month at 86.
(the restaurant is still in business)
― Josefa, Sunday, 17 March 2024 20:48 (one month ago) link
This is a good blog to keep an eye on... https://evgrieve.com
― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Monday, 18 March 2024 00:28 (one month ago) link
Aggie’s on Houston and Sullivan. Don’t remember the fare but went there often in the 90s
― calstars, Monday, 18 March 2024 17:11 (one month ago) link